Day in and day out we have to prepare lunch ulam baons for our school-aged children, and it is very easy to run out of ideas on what to prepare for them.
After all, we need a lunch meal that is nutritious, easy-to-prepare for those crazy school mornings, fits our budget, and of course appeal to the taste of our discriminating little bosses. Another consideration that comes to mind is that it should not spoil easily, so personally I would not recommend packing soup-y lunches, or those with too much sauce because of the spoilage risk, and the risk of spills in both the lunch boxes and their uniforms.
In this multi-part series, the lunch baon ideas that I will be suggesting can either be made from scratch and then frozen for three to four batch cookings, or could just be bought off those grocery freezers. Personally, I would have a balance of those that are cooked from scratch and those that can be bought in the supermarket? Why? Obviously those made from scratch are fresher, healthier, and cheaper. Having some ready-made baons from the grocery store can be a life-saver for those crazy weeks. And if you are like me, there is this place in my family’s heart for yummy food like sonsi longganiza or those chinese chorizos – that to me no amount of domestic diva-ness could make me replicate.
Anyway, you may want to read my past entry on bento supplies if and when you would like to make bento meals out of these baon suggestions. Also stock up on those Ziploc bags because it will be very useful in batch cooking/batch marinating/batch-freezing baon stockpiles.
So without further ado, here is a list of —
Lunch Ulam Baon Ideas for School Kids:
- Beef Tapa – I usually buy thin slices of beef offered in the SM Hypermart near our place. I just make sure that on the day that I buy it, I apportion and marinate it already in my simple homemade tapa marinade which is basically a mixture of a bit of soy sauce, ketchup, and brown sugar. I cut it before marinating too – yes you read it right, I cut instead of slice because using kitchen scissors makes my life as a mom much easier. Cutting it into smaller pieces makes it easier to cook, and chomp on. I batch marinade about three to four packs and just freeze them until I need to cook. I usually cook this as our breakfast too so it is like hitting two birds with one stone.
- Lumpiang Shanghai – I use this recipe from Panlasang Pinoy when preparing/batch freezing lumpiang shanghai for baon or lunches. You can also make a tuna or all-veggie variation. I usually do the wrapping and all within two days after I shopped for the meat — usually on the day itself so that I would not need to thaw the ground pork anymore.
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You may also want to read:
- PART 2: Lunch Baon Ideas for School Kids
- Part 3: School Lunch Baon Ideas for Children
- Baon Ideas for your Pre-Schooler
- How to get kids to sleep early
- Yummy Sandwich Recipes for Baon
- Happy Breakfasts for Kids
- Eight Recipes under P100.00 – 2016 Edition
- Kid-Friendly vegetable salads
- Where to buy Cheap yet good quality Bikes
- How to make Sidewalk Chalk
- Meryendas you can prepare with your kids
- Requirements for a Catholic Confirmation
- Local Party Resources: Where to buy DIY Party Supplies, Where to Buy Sweets for DIY Candy Buffet etc
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- Salisbury Steak – Or the fanci-fied hamburger patties. Again I make patties from scratch usually the same day or the following day after I have purchased the lean ground meat, so that I would not have to thaw anymore. I follow this recipe, but i pan-grill the patties instead of grilling it outdoors or elsewhere. You can always buy off the grocery, just fry it in butter and a bit of olive oil, and add in a dash of steak seasoning to make it more palatable.I then put on the side mushroom gravy which I usually buy store bought. To save on time, this steak will also be the family meal of the day.
- Crunchy Fish Fillet – This one is super easy to make and you can bulk up and batch freeze for up to about three weeks. Just buy those Pangasius fillet in the grocery, slice into squares or fat-finger sizes. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, dip in beaten egg, and dredge in Panko bread crumbs. You can now store these in separate ziploc bags and freeze until the day you will use it. I usually thaw it in the ref though the night before I fry it. As a family meal, I just add in Asian or Thousand Island dressing on the side.
- Chicken Fingers or Nuggets – is basically just chicken fillet cut into finger sizes and cooked using the same recipe as the above-mentioned crunchy fish fillet.
- Pan-Grilled Chicken Barbecue – Pre-boil your child’s favorite part the night before, and then the morning of put in a pan with your favorite barbecue marinade and leave it there to cook for about ten minutes each side. I suggest that you use thigh fillet part for this.
Click here for the second part of this series.
Click here for the third part of this series
So there you have it, I hope I was able to give you some lunch baon ideas for your grade schooler. If you have the time, hope you could drop by my Facebook page and hit the like button, so you can receive regular updates from Happypinaymommy.com direct on your newsfeed.
Thank you so much!
A Happy Homemaker is a Happy Pinay Mommy!
Leaving you with this video on Lunch Baon Ideas for Children:
